On Jan. 24th, the JV girls basketball team played against East Lake, and came out on top with the score being 58-37. A 58 definitely stands out on the leaderboard. Though the game got fierce, they pushed through till the end, and got the victory they were striving for.

   Anya Dziena (’26) was able to make 13 points for the team that evening. Contributing greatly to the win of the team. Her laser focus from mentally and physically preparing herself, paid off in the end.

   “I mean we’ve had other games which I would consider as practice. I just practiced at home, I helped the team, I got into my mindset, and I played. To get into my mindset, I walked around the locker rooms, I was talking to myself saying that it’s alright and it’s just a game,” Dziena said.

   When being in a stressful game, you want to get support while you’re competing, and cheers from the stands keeping you going forward, so in the end, athletes like Dziena, can walk out feeling good.

   “ I feel really good about it, I made 13 points, a lot of twos and a three, I got a lot of compliments from the stands, so I feel real good. There were a few moments in the game that were intense, especially from the end of 3rd quarter into the 4th, but I was able to intervene and block the balls from getting in,” Dzenia said.

   With the number two jersey, Malaya Hunter (’27) Runs down the court and shoots in threes, getting great passes in. Her accomplishments during the game came from her mental preparation and more.

   “I’m feeling pretty great, I feel like we had a good season. I felt good about the game because I was able to get shots in and play well with the ball. I was able to do this because I practiced with the drills, shooting around- making sure the shots were on point,” Hunter said.

   Even when the game got increasingly more intense, Hunter pushed through with the motivation of her friends and family.

   “Yeah, when they started ganging up on us but we found a way to get it back. I definitely was motivated to do so when people were cheering me on in the stands. So over the summer I’m gonna train and practice for the summer league and hope to get better.” Hunter said.

The season is over, and Tania Hunter (’26) is feeling bittersweet about it.

   “In some way I’m kind of ready for it to be over, cause I’m ready to dedicate myself towards track and homework, but I’m also gonna miss bonding with my team and the atmosphere of the games. Wednesday’s game is probably one of my worst games, I honestly didn’t play that well, the only thing I did that was pretty noticeable was getting a bucket,” Hunter said.

   Everyone has different ways to prepare themselves before something important to them, Hunter is able to do so with music.

“When I do have time to prepare myself for a game I usually pop some headphones in and try to focus. My motivation is kind of just my love for basketball, so I spend my freetime in training or going to the gym for cardio.” Hunter said.

   Though there were highs and lows of the game and the entire season, the girls never stopped pushing and showing their love for basketball through their dedication to win and that definitely showed in the end as they were victorious. The JV team ranked 4 in the district and had their last game against Sunlake on the Feb 5th and won.